Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not rule out a second referendum.
Photograph: Stewart Kendall/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar

Senior allies of Jeremy Corbyn have questioned the rationale for a fresh Brexit referendum as delegates to the party’s conference in Liverpool agreed a statement committing Labour to keeping the option on the table.

After a gruelling five-hour meeting with the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, more than 100 delegates from trade unions and local parties drafted a two-page motion, which members in Liverpool were expected to pass on Tuesday.

The key sentence of the final draft says: “If we cannot get a general election Labour must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote.”

It adds: “If the government is confident in negotiating a deal that working people, our economy and communities will benefit from, they should not be afraid to put that deal to the public.”

If Labour wants power, it must commit to a people’s vote on Brexit | Molly Scott Cato

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Campaigners were pleased with other elements of the two-page statement, including a promise to pursue “full participation in the single market”.

One anti-Brexit Labour source said: “This is clear movement from the party. We are now talking with clarity of voting down the deal if doesn’t meet our tests, calling for a general election and if that is not possible – we want a public vote on the deal.

“Last year we didn’t even get a debate. What a difference a year makes.”

An initial motion, which proposed a “a public vote on the terms of Brexit”, was rejected by delegates as being too prescriptive, as it appeared to exclude the option to remain within the European Union.

Michael Chessum, one of the key anti-Brexit campaigners from the leftwing group Another Europe is Possible, said it was not everything they had hoped for, but a step forward. “A huge anti-Brexit surge of Labour members has hit Labour conference. It hasn’t been fully reflected in the text – but we have a clear commitment that any public vote won’t just be on the terms of Brexit. It could include an option to remain,” he said.

However, the wording is close to the position expressed in recent days by Corbyn and the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell – with both making clear their preference for a general election that could allow Labour to take over the negotiations.

McDonnell said the starting point of the agreement was “a clear statement that we respect the last referendum”.

He told BBC Breakfast: “Secondly, if the deal that Theresa May brings back from Brussels is unacceptable, doesn’t pass the tests we set out, in particular protection of jobs and the economy, we will press for a general election.”

He added: If we can’t get a general election we’re keeping on the table the option of a people’s vote.”

McDonnell insisted he would prefer an election, and that there would be sufficient time to negotiate Labour’s alternative Brexit plan, involving membership of a customs union.

He said: “I think there’s a deal to be had, here. But I don’t think there’s a deal to be had while we’ve got this government.”

Earlier, several of Corbyn’s senior supporters underlined their concerns about what they see as the risks of a “people’s vote”.

The shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, whose Salford constituency voted leave, told the Guardian she was concerned the Tories would be able to dictate the question.

Q&A

What is 'compositing' at the Labour conference?

In the run-up to the Labour conference, local parties can submit motions on any contemporary topic for debate. After a concerted push by grassroots activists, more than 150 constituency parties (CLPs) have submitted motions on Brexit, an unprecedented number. For comparison, the topic with the second highest number of motions submitted – the NHS – has been put forward by 10 CLPs.

However, the motions are not identical. The majority call for a second referendum directly, some express preference for an election, others call for an EEA-style Brexit. When different motions are submitted on one topic, delegates from the local parties who submitted motions, as well as trade union representatives, meet the shadow cabinet member responsible, in this case Keir Starmer, to agree a "composite motion" to be put to the conference floor for a vote. This is usually a compromise taking in all the elements of the different motions.

Usually this is a straightforward process, because there are only a handful of delegates and union reps in the room. This time, there are likely to be more than 100 people in the room from all the local parties who submitted motions, so things could get complicated.

The final version is likely to be a compromise which expresses preference for an election but keeps the option of a referendum on the table. And Labour's governing body, the national executive committee, could offer a replacement statement of its own for the vote instead.

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“My worry about a second referendum is that they will be holding the pen,” she said. “What will the referendum be on?”

She added that some Labour-supporting leave voters might feel the party did not trust them. “I do worry about it, because I think a lot of people will feel sold-out,” she said. “Some people will think: ‘How many times do you ask before you get the answer you want?’”

Another shadow cabinet minister, Richard Burgon, warned of what he called “a dangerous situation for the whole political class”.

Asked about the prospect of a people’s vote, the shadow justice secretary echoed concerns expressed by McDonnell. “I have a real worry that it would unleash the populist right wing,” he said, adding: “I think the role of the Labour party now is to reduce divisions and bring people together.”

Meanwhile, Steve Howell, who oversaw Labour’s digital strategy in 2017 and has written a book about the campaign, warned that a referendum would be “a gift to Farage and co”.

Steve Howell (@FromSteveHowell)

1/ Yesterday's front pages are just a tiny taste of what will happen in a #PeoplesVote. It's a gift to Farage & co, allowing them to pose as democrats standing up for Britain against unelected Brussels bureaucrats and elitist Remainers who only respect votes that go their way. pic.twitter.com/WmN7aJdsoH

And Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite and a staunch supporter of the Labour leadership, told the BBC’s Jon Pienaar he did not believe “remain” should be an option on the ballot paper in the event of another referendum.

“The referendum shouldn’t be on: ‘Do we want to go back into the European Union?’”, he said. “The people have already decided on that. We very rarely have referendums in this country. The people have decided against my wishes and my union’s wishes, but they’ve decided.”

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Jeremy Corbyn: 'We are absolutely ready for a general election' – video

A “people’s vote” was overwhelmingly the most popular issue raised by constituency Labour parties (CLPs) that submitted so-called “contemporary motions” to conference – but the final wording was negotiated at a packed meeting on Sunday evening, chaired by Starmer.

Starmer held a series of one-to-one meetings throughout the day in the hope of reaching a compromise.

Grassroots delegates groups including the youth group FFS and the leftwing groups Another Europe is Possible and Labour for a People’s Vote held briefing meetings, to agree their stance.

Conference at a glance: Labour nears consensus on Brexit

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Though Corbyn, McDonnell and others have repeatedly said they would not rule out a people’s vote, they are under pressure to agree to a firmer position in which Labour would advocate a poll.

People’s Vote campaigners held a well-attended rally in Liverpool on Sunday, close to the conference centre.

Labour is due to elect a second deputy leader, alongside party veteran Tom Watson, as part of a controversial set of rule changes agreed by delegates on Sunday. Some campaigners hope a pro-referendum candidate will stand, as a way of piling fresh pressure on the leadership over the issue.

Eloise Todd, of Best for Britain, said: “Labour’s new female deputy leader should be someone who represents the grassroots of the party, and that means giving the people, not politicians, the final say on the Brexit deal, which is what the overwhelming majority of party members support.”